


I Might be Great Tomorrow but Hopeless Yesterday

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 20:03:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I hate the way you talk to me; it makes me want to slap you across the mouth.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Might be Great Tomorrow but Hopeless Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> I took it all the way back to the beginning because that’s where they took me. The title comes from the Pretenders song Don’t Get Me Wrong and really fit this story.

Mudgie looked up, sticking his nose in the air. He made grunting noises in his belly before lying back down again. Within a few minutes he was up on his feet, his tail straight in the air. That got his master’s attention. Despite the rainy weather, and the chill, Dave fired up the gas grill. A little surf and turf would put him in a better mood. 

Food had been doing that since he was a young man, both cooking and eating it. The past couple of weeks had been topsy-turvy for him. He used his connections to return to the FBI and BAU. Jason Gideon was gone; the organization he helped create was floundering. While there had been some opposition to his return, Dave got his credentials back. 

The first case he worked with his new team wasn’t easy for anyone involved. The second had its moments. The psychos were the same but the BAU had changed. There were new things that Dave needed to get used to. He was a legend; that’s what people told him. That didn’t mean the whole world or the BAU stopped when he retired. It went on, evolved, and Dave had to reconcile his old school style with the new world order. 

When the team returned from Montana, Agent Anderson had a message for the new Senior SSA. The Director’s office put the return of his credentials up for review. That meant he wasn’t to do any work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit until the review was complete. It didn’t sound kosher to Rossi and he took it out on the one person he knew was displeased with his return. Maybe she was more powerful and persuasive than Dave gave her credit for. He had been gone for quite a while.

“ _I was standing right in front of you.” He walked into her office without knocking. “You didn’t have to stab me in the back.”_

_“I really have no idea what you're talking about.” Erin looked at him, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are but I am the Section Chief of the NCAVC. You're done talking to me like I'm some feeble minded cadet.”_

_“And as usual, you throw your weight around with paperwork instead of…”_

_“Get the hell out of my office!” Erin exclaimed. She stood from her desk and pointed to the door. “I've put up with enough of this and I won't anymore. I'm your superior in every sense of the word, David. If I truly didn’t want you here then you wouldn’t be. Unlike you I'm willing to put the BAU ahead of petty personal grievances. Just as I suspected, you haven’t changed one bit.”_

_“So who pushed me out?” Dave asked._

_“You're such a brilliant agent, you figure it out. My next call will be to security to escort you off the premises. Please test my patience, Agent Rossi…it’s been a while.”_

_Dave sighed. He wanted to say something else; needed to get the last word. Instead he just turned and walked out of the office. For the time being he was out. If Erin wasn’t responsible for that then Dave wanted to find out who was. He’d put that on the back burner for a moment to call the person he knew could fix it_.

Mudgie barked before taking off through the French doors back into the house. He was running and the behavior perplexed Dave. Rossi took his steak off the grill, walking into the house as well. He put the meat on the counter and followed Mudgie to the front door. 

The retriever barked at the closed door. Instinctually, Dave grabbed his ankle piece. It seemed a little excessive but he’d rather be safe than sorry. Anyone from an overzealous fan to a psychopath could make it to his front door with enough determination. 

He unlocked the door and put his hand on the knob. Dave slowly opened it, the dog still barking. He gently shushed him and Mudgie stopped. He sat, his tail flopping up and down on the hardwood floor.

“Erin,” Dave put the Ruger 380 Auto, which he was holding in the firing position, down to his waist. “I could’ve shot you.”

“Try not to sound so excited about that.” She said.

“What are you doing here?” he opened the security door. Dave put the gun back in his ankle holster.

“You just walk around with a gun?” she countered as she stepped into the foyer. Erin remained tentative around the dog. He looked as if he would pounce on command and she’d never been a dog person.

“Most of the time I forget to take my secondary piece off. It’s a force of habit; even more so since I rejoined the FBI.”

“Kirk is going to fix your problem.”

“I really owe you an apology for the other night.”

They spoke at the same time. Rossi smiled but Erin didn’t. She was wet from the rain outside, not soaked but damp. There was a little curl at the end of her blonde hair…Rossi could see through her white blouse. It had been forever since he’d seen her in jeans. 

Casual Erin was the most beautiful Erin of all. He couldn’t say it was a rare sight; the two hardly saw each other during his retirement. She was moving up the administrative ranks and he was seething because he thought she wasted her valuable talent. Erin wasn’t fond of the field but she was great with a gun and even more so with her brain. 

The last thing she needed to do was hop aboard the Bureaucrat Express. Dave wanted her to do more field work in BAU 1 and move up that way. It was respectable, and he wanted her on his team. Erin told him to stay out of it. 

He feared her surpassing him, of that she was sure. There was little David Rossi feared more than becoming obsolete. Erin didn’t plan to fall for that mentor crap. She had a mentor and didn’t need to look to Rossi for approval like the bevy of wide-eyed rookies all over Quantico.

“I didn’t think before I spoke.” Dave said. “I had no right to accuse you like that. I was angry but that doesn’t excuse it.”

“I hate you.” She moved closer to him. “I hate that you're irrational and make snap judgments. I hate your smugness. I really hate that you shaved your goatee.”

“I think it’s coming back in nicely.” Dave stroked his chin. “That was an accident. There are some who think it makes me look younger.”

“I hate that you're self-centered.” Erin kept talking as if he hadn’t. “I hate the way you talk to me; it makes me want to slap you across the mouth. I hate that you think the BAU would sink if you didn’t rush back in to save it.”

“I never said that.” Dave shook his head. “You guys needed help…why can't you admit that.”

“I hate when you profile me. I am not an Unsub, David.”

“Is there anything, even a teeny tiny thing that you like about me?” he pinched his thumb and forefinger together.

“I've always liked the way you kissed me.” Erin stepped into his personal space. “It’s one of the few times you can actually keep your mouth shut.”

“I've never once kissed you with my mouth shut.”

Erin whimpered when he pulled her hard against him. They both battled for control of the kiss, which only made it more passionate. She grabbed the back of his shirt and kissed him deeper. Dave was mumbling something but Erin didn’t care what he said. 

Talking usually led to arguing with them. Kissing led to much better things. It led to him lifting her into his arms. It led to Erin’s legs around him. 

It led to the long staircase and the hallway to the master bedroom. It led to the California king size bed. It quickly led to her damp clothes on the floor. His mouth made love to her skin…memories of their many passionate nights together crashing in Erin’s mind like freight trains.

Dave kissed the inside of her thighs; the scent as familiar to him as his own. When her skin was wet it was even more intoxicating. He bit her and Erin trembled, gripping the sheets as she moaned. He wanted to taste her…he wanted to get drunk from every drop. The first taste was always like honey and the way his name came off her lips in a passionate sigh made his belly stir. Dave needed to hear that again and again and again. He was surprised when Erin pulled him up to look at her.

“Get undressed.” She kissed him. “Touch me with your hands.”

He quickly shed his clothes, down to his boxers, and they joined hers on the carpet below. Dave took his gun from his ankle and put it in the nightstand drawer. He held her close, relishing the feeling of skin on skin. When Erin palmed his erection he whispered her name into her neck as he kissed it. Then Dave returned the favor, his hand stroking her hip before giving her the pleasure that she desired. He rolled onto his back and Erin straddled him while he played between her legs.

“Mmm,” she closed her eyes as her hands moved down his chest. “Mmm, yeah.”

Dave increased the friction, loving the way her breasts bounced up and down as she cried out her pleasure. Erin was close; he’d known her long enough to know that. Being in bed with her was like riding a bike. It didn’t matter how long between adventures, they always seemed to pick up right where they left off.

“David! David, ohhh, ohhh David!”

“Say my name again baby.”

“David!”

She added the extra whimper to excite him. Erin knew how to play the game…the look on his face told her everything that she needed to know. There was only so much acting she had to do. The way he made her feel was real. The way she held him so that she wouldn’t fall over, there was nothing false about that. Her stomach tightened, her toes curled, and she leaned her body over his on the bed.

“I want you so much.” He growled.

She moved to the mattress, lying on her side. She reached for him as he slipped out of his boxers but Dave stopped her.

“I want to be inside of you.” He took hold of her shoulder.

“Inside of my mouth isn’t good enough for you?” Erin asked.

Dave turned her around, pressing his erection on her ass. He gently kissed her shoulder and then he bit it.

“Inside of you.” He whispered in her ear.

“Do you want an engraved invitation?”

“Tell me you want me, Erin.”

“I want it.” She said through clenched teeth. “And you want it too…so take it.”

“You know I want it.” He put her leg over his as he slid between her open thighs. Dave filled her to the hilt, grabbing her breast and squeezing. “Goddamn.”

“Take it David; fuck me.”

That would be the magic word. No matter how many years passed there were some things that would never change. He loved to hear that; loved to be desired by a woman. He really got off on being desired by this woman. The only work where Dave and Erin seemed to make things work was the bedroom. He thrust deep and Erin reached back to grab his hip.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I've never been made of glass. If you got, I can handle it. Fuck me, David.”

She wanted to be fucked and he damn sure wanted to fuck her. Erin would kill him if he held back. She had ways of knowing all the things he tried to hide. There was no point in being there to get the bland PG-13 version of an NC-17 show. She loved the marks he used to leave on her skin. 

There were times she would feel him for days afterward. Erin could feel him so deep that she quivered at the most inappropriate times. She didn’t give a damn. If it was good then it was good, and it was always good. Hell, it was great at the moment.

He didn’t know if he'd ever said aloud how much he missed her body. Dave never thought they’d be here again. There were some differences but his favorite things about it didn’t change. He loved how fast her nipples hardened. He loved to feel the butterflies in her stomach when she was turned on. He loved the way she whispered his name and then screamed it.

Erin turned to kiss him hard; Dave didn’t even recoil when she bit his lip. Battle scars were something to be proud of. He held her hip, pounding into her. The way she reacted wasn’t a disappointment.

“Ahh God, Erin! Oh baby, baby, damn baby.”

Erin bit the pillow so that she wouldn’t scream. This climax wasn’t as good as the first but she wasn’t expecting it to be. She loved the feeling of Dave coming inside of her. He wrapped his arm around her chest, holding Erin close as the aftershocks moved through him and into her. 

The room was silent except for their heavy breathing and the white noise between her ears. As it faded, Erin could hear the rain falling harder outside along with scratching in the distance. Her stomach was growling; she hadn’t eaten after leaving Quantico that evening. She didn’t want Dave to hear it.

“I made steak.” He said.

“I'm not hungry.”

“That’s not what your stomach says. I can't blame it…you just burned a ton of calories.”

“Fuck you.” Erin said, knowing he was smirking without even seeing his face. She still hadn’t moved out of his arms. He was still inside of her.

“You just did.” He said. “Even with biased scoring from the East German judges it was still an 8.7.”

“I hate you.” She mumbled, kissing his arm.

“I'm sorry.”

“You're sorry that I hate you?”

“I'm sorry that I took my anger out on you, Erin. I was being an ass.”

“It was someone at Justice.” She said. “I don't know who but it definitely came from there. Kirk will do what he does and fix it. I figure you'll be back in seven to ten days.”

“What was the review about?” he asked.

“I have no damn idea, David. These days they need very little excuse for close scrutiny. You can thank your friend Aaron Hotchner for that.” She moved out of his arms, pulling the blanket up to cover her nudity. “Dammit, I need a cigarette. I left my purse in my car.”

“I have some cloves in my drawer. As sexy as it sounds you can't walk back there wrapped in a blanket.”

“You don’t smoke.”

“No.” Dave shook his head.

“So why do you have cloves in your drawer?” she asked.

“A friend left them here. Would you like one? They're not the cheap kind.”

“Do many friends leave cloves in your bedroom?”

“C'mon Erin…”

She smiled, a devil may care grin. She reached over Dave, opened the drawer, and got the cloves and lighter herself. Sitting up, Erin lit one and dropped the box on the bed. Djarum Cherry was definitely not the cheap stuff. 

Erin hadn’t smoked a clove since her days at Barnard. She got up from bed altogether, the blanket easily wrapping around her body. Lying naked on the bed, Dave just watched her. She walked over to the balcony doors and stared out at the rain soaked night.

“Are we going to hate each other in the morning?” he asked.

“I've never hated you.” She didn’t look at him when she said it.

“I've never hated you either. Wow, we should record this…we rarely agree on anything.”

“Don’t make me change my mind, David.”

He just didn’t want things between them to be strange again. That was silly considering they were always strange, and strained too. They were older now and didn’t have to play those same roles; say the same lines over and over like a broken record. Being friends might be impossible after all they’d been through, Dave wasn’t sure. That didn’t mean they had to be enemies.

“I really did make some steak. If you're hungry, we can eat.”

“I need to go home. As soon as I'm done this cigarette I’ll get dressed.”

“Don’t rush on my account.” He said.

“How did you cook the steak?” Erin asked.

“Medium.”

“It sounds delicious. I hope you enjoy your dinner.”

Erin went into the bathroom, running the last of the clove under cold water. Back in the bedroom, she put the blanket on the bed, and quickly dressed. This part was always the least fun of the evening. Luckily she didn’t have to get down on her knees to search under the bed for anything or didn’t have clothes scattered throughout the house. 

It had happened before…before Dave became Mr. McMansion. He got out of bed as well. He put on his boxers and tee shirt. When he opened the bedroom door, Mudgie came bounding in. Erin let out a scream. The dog had been trying to get in. That must have been the scratching she heard earlier.

“He’s harmless, Erin. You don’t need to be afraid of him. Mudgie wouldn’t hurt a fly and he loves people. He especially loves women.”

Mudgie barked as if he was agreeing with Dave’s assessment.

“Just please keep him over there.” She crept around him, just trying to get out of the room.

“Over where?” Dave held onto the retriever’s collar. He didn’t try to fight it; he just sat still.

“You don’t have to walk me out…I know my way.”

“Drive safely.”

“Yeah.” She nodded and disappeared down the hallway and stairs.

Dave heard her leave the house but still waited almost 20 minutes to go back downstairs. He was hungry. There was steak, shrimp, and plenty of wine. There were few things better after sex than food. More sex was even better but his guest arrived and departed rather abruptly. At the table, sipping his wine with his dog by his feet, Dave made a phone call.

“You want me to drive safely but you're calling me.” Erin said.

“Are you hands free?” he asked.

“You're smirking right now and I hate you again.”

“I want you to like me.” 

“You're a pain in the ass.” Erin said.

“We didn’t have that kind of sex. You didn’t stay long enough.”

“David…”

“I'm that guy sometimes, OK? It’s not as if you don’t know me damn well better than I know myself. That drives me crazier than I can ever express. I can be that unbearable kid in 6th grade who pulled your hair because he liked you.”

“I recall kicking that kid in the nuts.” Erin said. “It’s not automatically OK because you're adorable sometimes when you're insufferable for the most part. It would be a very bad idea to do this again.”

“I think we say that every time we do it again. Why don’t we just make a deal instead?”

“I'm listening.” She replied, hardly believing that she really was

“The next time you will stay and let me feed you.” Dave said. “The steak and wine was too amazing to enjoy alone

“First; you feed me first and we maybe have a deal.”

“Wait, feed you first? So there's a possibility that…?”

“Goodnight, David.” Erin didn’t wait for his response before hanging up. 

That wasn’t going to bother him in the least. That’s how their phone calls went in every performance of this show, and there had been a few. Erin didn’t think she was in the mood for a revival. Part of her wanted what happened to be the last curtain call. Another part of her wondered if age and experience would finally make the plot as fascinating as the love scenes.

***


End file.
